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How to Host an Oscar Party

Last updated: February 6, 2025

This is a step-by-step guide for how to host an Oscar party.

You’ll learn who to invite, when and where to host it, what food to serve, a list of Oscar party games, some decoration ideas, and more.

Introduction

Hosting your own Oscar’s party is the perfect way to celebrate Hollywood’s biggest night with friends and family. 

Whether you’re a sucker for films or just love a good theme party, I’ll show you how to create an unforgettable viewing experience that keeps guests engaged. 

I’ve combined expert my own party-planning tips with insider advice from Tara. She’s been hosting legendary Oscar parties for over 20 years. I interviewed her to get all of her best tips and tricks.

Her secret? Creating an experience that’s less about who wins the Best Picture Award and more about bringing people together for an evening of glamour, games, and great food.

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Celebrating the night in true Oscar style! Lights, Camera, Bingo!

Tara’s Tips

  1. Use name tags. Tara always has name tags. It is one of the reasons she connected so deeply with my book, The 2-Hour Cocktail Party.
  2. Do icebreakers on the name tags. See below for more information.
  3. Consider hosting on the night before the Oscars. More on that later.
  4. Have fun with the food. See the food section for specific recipes and ideas.
  5. Decorate with black, gold, yellow, and red colors.

Plus 11 more ideas that I’ll type up below.

First, though, you need to do name tags for everyone. Tara combines an icebreaker on the name tags to make an Oscars connection.

You can do this at your party by using a question such as:

  • If I were to win an Oscar, it would be for ‘Best…’ (guests can choose anything they wish!)
  • In the movie of my life, I would cast {insert celebrity name} to play me

Warning: The hardest part about hosting an Oscar party is that it’s a very specific theme. Not everyone wants to watch the Oscars or even cares about movies. But if you make it clear that there’s something for everyone and it’s about fun and connection more than anything else it will make the party appealing to a wider audience. We’ll show you how.

Oscar Preview Party

Another challenging part about hosting an Oscar Party is it happens late on a Sunday night.

This less-than-ideal time slot tends to pose attendance and logistical challenges.

This past year, Tara hosted her party on the night before the Oscars.

It was a huge success! Hosting the party the night before allowed her to do a few unique things which she thinks were very helpful:

  1. Saturday night, easier attendance. Nobody has to worry about leaving the party early or staying up too late on Sunday which lifts some of the previous guest list constraints.
  2. More time for connection and focused time to watch the actual Oscars. Everyone gets to celebrate and connect a bit better the night before, then watch the Oscars at their leisure on Sunday night.

Planning Your Oscar Night

Ideally, start planning for your Oscar night 2–3 weeks in advance.

Sending Invitations

Send out themed invitations styled like Oscar tickets.

Here are a few sample images that you can use for your party invites:

How Many People to Invite?

You should plan for 8–15 guests, allowing for lively discussion without overcrowding your viewing space.

For more information about how many people to invite to a party, see this guide we wrote. 

Who Attends the Parties?

Friends, family, co-workers, friends of friends, you name it. Some people have attended for many years. Others are first-time attendees. “It depends what’s going on in my life and who I want to invite each year.”

What Food To Serve?

Tara prides herself on the food and the menu. She creates puns for the names of her dishes.

Past favorites include:

  • MozzarelLa-La Land
  • The Curious Quiche of Benjamin Button
  • Call Meatball Your Name
  • Bok Choy Story 3

“Many people show up just for the food! Even though The 2-Hour Cocktail Party formula recommends against food for a happy hour, I feel strongly about serving it at an Oscar party. There’s enough moments where people are sitting and watching for it to work well.”

Dress Code and Decorations

Use these colors: Black, gold, yellow, and red.

These colors match the theme of the Oscars.

Many people I know who also host Oscar parties like to ask guests to dress up in Hollywood glam, and while it is certainly one way to go, keep in mind that it’s a long night of sitting and eating.

Instead, Tara likes to encourage her guests to dress comfortably and lean into the color scheme (or something sparkly) instead.

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Tara wanted to create a stylish atmosphere, so she used this red carpet background to create a DIY photo booth for guests complete with props and signs

Creating the Perfect Space

Multiple Viewing Areas

Create distinct spaces for different viewing styles:

  • A main viewing area for serious award show watchers.
  • A social space for chatty guests.
  • A dedicated food and drink station away from the main viewing area.

The Photo Experience

Create a DIY photo booth with:

  • Red carpet backdrop
  • Oscar-worthy props and signs
  • Good lighting for photos
  • Movie-themed decorations

This arrangement ensures everyone can enjoy the party in their preferred way, whether they’re die-hard Oscar fans or casual viewers there for the atmosphere.

Making It Inclusive

Not everyone is a fan of the Oscars, and that’s okay! We want to create an experience that welcomes all guests:

  • Focus on social interaction over movie knowledge.
  • Include games anyone can play.
  • Provide comfortable viewing options.
  • Create conversation starters throughout your space.

Oscar Bingo

Here’s a list of 22 ideas for an Oscar Bingo card.

OscarsBingo
Oscars Bingo
  1. Get a bingo if a winner cries.
  2. Find someone at the party who has attended for 5 or more years
  3. Winner thanks their parents
  4. Speech over 2 minutes long
  5. Presenter mispronounces a name
  6. Someone cries during acceptance
  7. Best Picture winner predicted
  8. Someone wears an all-black outfit
  9. Two or more hosts
  10. Winner mentions politics
  11. Montage of deceased stars
  12. A surprise guest appearance
  13. Winner thanks their agent
  14. Someone forgets their speech
  15. Someone wears a unique hat
  16. A musical performance
  17. Winner mentions a crew member
  18. Someone uses the word “honored”
  19. A standing ovation
  20. Winner mentions their spouse
  21. A technical glitch during broadcast
  22. Someone holds up their Oscar awkwardly

Oscar Party Games and Activities

Less is more here. You’ve already got your main activity (watching the Oscars) taken care of for you, and if you go with the icebreaker name tag idea, your icebreaker is taken care of too.

So you don’t need too much more. Of course, make sure that you’ve got your Oscar ballots ready for guests to make their guesses on who will win each category.

Fun tip: you can always find printable Oscar ballots ready to download online, and to save time on Oscar night (and allow guests who are unable to attend to participate) you can even send the ballot out ahead of time along with one of your reminder messages if you wish.

If you plan on doing any additional games and activities, remember to make the games inclusive of all your guests – from the diehard Oscar/movie fans right through to those who have never watched the Oscars or haven’t seen any of the nominated movies.

Here are a few ideas for that.

Oscar-themed versions of popular games

  • ‘Game of Things’ (eg. Things you wouldn’t want to overhear in the bathroom at the Oscars, things they should really give out Oscars for…)
  • Charades or pictionary – little ‘mini-games’ that you can pick up and play during 2-3 minute commercial breaks are perfect

Games based on the Oscar categories

  • Best song or score: Have guests guess the famous movie soundtrack, or play ‘what’s the missing lyric’ to popular songs
  • Best production design: Have guests spot the differences between two photos
  • Best film editing: Change a word or two in a famous movie quote and have guests answer give you the correct line

Lessons and Learnings

Here are a few more ideas to have a successful Oscars-watching event:

Do A Dry Run

Test your TV/streaming set up the day before and have a backup viewing plan if you’re hosting on the day. 

Serve good food

Food always brings people together. People love food and drinks, especially when they’ve got fun names.

Set up some self-serve stations to minimize host duties. 

Get nerdy with it

Don’t be afraid to get nerdy with it. The Oscars are so steeped in nostalgia and tradition that if you lean into it, your guests will too. Get dramatic, but also keep it lighthearted.

Have extra ballots and pens ready. Consider having some prizes for game winners. 

Create an interactive display where guests can track winners throughout the night. This becomes a natural gathering point during commercial breaks and encourages friendly debates about the results.

Conclusion

Hosting an Oscar Party is more than just about movies; it’s about creating an unforgettable experience.

Tara, a seasoned host with over 20 years of Oscar parties, shared her tips and tricks for making your own celebration a blockbuster hit.

Remember to do these things to make your party a success:

  1. Use name tags for guests with movie-related icebreakers (like “If I won an Oscar, it would be for Best…”)
  2. Consider hosting on Saturday night before the Oscars instead of Sunday for better attendance and a more relaxed atmosphere.
  3. Create a color scheme using black, gold, yellow, and red for decorations to match the Oscar theme.
  4. Create a DIY photo booth with a red carpet backdrop, props, and good lighting for memorable pictures.
  5. Plan for 8-15 guests to ensure lively discussion without overcrowding the viewing space.
  6. Play Oscar Bingo during the show to keep guests engaged, even if they’re not movie buffs.
  7. Do a technical dry run the day before to test your TV/streaming setup and have a backup viewing plan.
  8. Set up self-serve food and drink stations away from the main viewing area to minimize host duties during the event.

Whether it’s the timing of an Oscar Preview Party or inclusive games, Tara makes it clear: it’s about fun, connection, and celebrating the Oscars in style.

Focus on good food, comfortable seating, and inclusive activities, and you’ll host an event worthy of its own golden statue.

Hello, My name is Nick Gray. In my book, The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, I provide helpful guidance on how to host a great party for any event. I wrote this book to support anyone attempting to meet new people and develop closer bonds with their community.

When is your party? Send me an email and I will give you some bonus tips, including a pre-party checklist that you can print out. Plus I’ll answer any question you have, free of charge. I love talking about parties and I’m on a mission to help 500 people host their first party.

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About the author

Nick Gray is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party. He’s been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and in a popular TEDx talk. He sold his last company Museum Hack in 2019. Today he’s an expert on networking events, small parties, and creating relationships. Read more about Nick Gray here.

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